Realme seems to know more than anyone that competing in the high-end, where smartphones stand out mainly for their photographic section, is becoming more and more complicated. Therefore, the only option to try to gain a foothold in this hard-fought product category dominated by Samsung, Apple or Xiaomi, is to bet on a smartphone that mainly stands out in another area. The one chosen by the Asian company owned by the BBK group with its new Realme GT 3 It is certainly very interesting.
Realme’s new flagship, announced during Mobile World Congress 2023, arrives with fast charging up to 240 W as a star feature. The fastest in the world commercially available, surpassing, of course, the 150 W of UltraDart technology that Realme itself revealed during last year’s mobile phone congress.
Charging power is of course not a decisive point when buying a smartphone, so the Realme GT 3 also excels in other areas that perhaps they can convince someone when it comes to acquiring this model compared to another of their competition.
One of them is his designwhich is precisely also inspired by another of the key points of this Realme GT 3: the performance. In fact, the new Realme mobile has a somewhat striking back and, above all, very different from other high-end smartphones from more traditional manufacturers for a particular reason.
design and performance
Along with the photographic module, Realme has included in its Realme GT 3 a kind of window where you can see the processor —or at least a sticker that pretends to be the processor. It’s under slightly opaque glass, and the silkscreen on the chip is only visible when light hits it directly, so it’s pretty subtle; something that, in my opinion, is ideal. Mainly, because the aesthetic reflects one of the keys to this smartphone. Also because it boasts that gaming design without being ostentatious.
To the window that shows the processor of the Realme GT 3, in addition, surrounded by an RGB LED strip that only turns on momentarily when GT Mode is enabled, a feature that allows you to maximize CPU and GPU performance.
In case you are wondering what is the processor that can be seen on the back of this smartphone, it is the First generation Snapdragon 8+. Of course, SoC that is included in this device and which is accompanied by different versions of RAM, starting from 8 GB to 16 GB, as well as a 256 GB internal storage variant.
It is, of course, a more than enough configuration to be able to perform any task without problem. In fact, the Realme GT 3 can run all kinds of games with total fluidity without the need to activate GT Mode. Perhaps the performance is not up to the mark of other recently announced high-end, such as the Honor Magic 5 Pro; but Realme has another trump card: the load.
This is how the 240W of the Realme GT 3 work
Let’s go by parts. The Realme GT 3 has a 4,600mAh battery, a capacity more than enough to be able to last throughout the day with average use. That is, browsing social networks, taking the occasional photograph, viewing videos, etc. With more intensive use, which includes games with maximum graphics, it is also possible to reach the end of the day, but with a considerably lower percentage, around 10% or 5% battery. It’s a problem? Really, and taking into account the loading speed, no.
The 240 W of the Realme GT 3 can supply 50% battery in just 4 minutes. 100% is complete in just over 9 minutes. It is really curious to see how the smartphone’s battery percentage rises rapidly as soon as the charger is connected.
It is, without a doubt, a relevant advance compared to other high-end smartphones, especially if we take into account that a mobile with a considerably powerful charge, such as the 120W of the Xiaomi 12, takes about 20 minutes to charge. However, it is important to mention that the terminal gets slightly hot when connected to the chargerbut it’s nothing alarming. In fact, Realme claims that it is normal. As soon as the charge is complete, it takes a few minutes without using the device for it to return to its usual temperature.
However, Is it safe to always charge the terminal at this power? The company claims that up to 1,600 charge cycles are possible with the 120W charger before the battery capacity drops to 80%, so day-to-day use of this charger shouldn’t be a problem.
Its screen is also fast, although in another way
Another not so relevant feature of the Realme GT 3, but also interesting, is its screen. The terminal, specifically, has a 6.74-inch AMOLED panel. It has a resolution of 1240 x 2772 pixels, as well as a refresh rate of 144 Hz. It is a brilliant screen, with very well calibrated colors and with a sharpness that does not leave you indifferent.
Its high refresh rate also makes the user experience considerably better. Of course, there is not a considerable difference compared to 120 Hz. Perhaps, yes, it is because most apps or even the operating system itself are not compatible with this refresh rate, or because I am very used to 120 Hz and the jump to 144 Hz is not that noticeable.
Three cameras with a very familiar setup
Where Realme has been more conservative compared to the previous generation and where they have not preferred to stand out from the rest is in the photographic section. Note, this does not mean that it is bad. In fact, the camera setup of the Realme GT 3 is quite interesting.
We find ourselves, on the one hand, with a 50 megapixel primary sensor of resolution, as well as a 8 megapixel ultra wide angle camera. The Realme GT 3 also features a third additional 2-megapixel sensorwhich is dedicated to macro photography.
How do these cameras behave? The main sensor of the Realme GT 3 does a good job when the lighting conditions are good. It manages to capture decent detail and colors that do not sin in terms of saturation. The stability of the main sensor, in addition, is quite good. The ultra-wide camera, as usual, tends to lose a lot of detail compared to the 50-megapixel sensor, the tonality is also slightly different when we capture images with this second sensor, although it is something that can be easily edited afterwards.
Is the Realme GT 3 an interesting bet in the high range?
Realme will market the Realme GT 3 globally at a price of $649 for its version with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. In Europe, its price is still unknown, since there is no defined release date, but it is likely that it will be around 700 or 750 euros. Now, is it an option to consider in the high range?
The Realme GT 3 has features that can be an advantage over other smartphones from its competition. For example, its main rival, the Xiaomi 12T Pro, does not have such a powerful fast charge, nor such a striking design, or a 144 Hz screen. The problem is that those 240W or that higher refresh rate Despite the fact that they are very welcome points, they do not manage to compensate for the areas in which the 12T Pro shows off this Realme mobile: its camera, which offers better results; and its battery, which is 5,000 mAh.
The Xiaomi 12T Pro, in addition, also has a considerably powerful charge. There are barely a few minutes difference. The 144 Hz, on the other hand, is barely noticeable compared to 120 Hz. And all this, for around 740 euros on portals like Amazon.
Therefore, unless Realme decides to launch its new smartphone at a much more attractive price than those 740 euros for which Xiaomi’s mobile can be obtained, the Realme GT 3 has a difficult time battling in the high-end range, despite that its design is liked, its screen is very good and its performance leaves no one indifferent.